Ivan Toney pushes Victor Osimhen to Chelsea after 'transfer issues'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 30 Aug 2024 17:34 BST
• 3 min read

Al-Ahli will not proceed with their move for Victor Osimhen and will instead focus on Ivan Toney, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Saudi giants had been in talks with both superstar strikers, but a deal for the Napoli sharpshooter is now looking increasingly unlikely. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that there have been 'issues' during the talks with the Nigerian, which has now led to Al-Ahli abandoning the transfer.

It looked as though Osimhen would agree a lucrative deal with the Jeddah outfit, while Napoli had already broadly agreed on a transfer fee, but a move to the Middle East was always seen as a last resort for the wantaway 25-year-old.

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Instead, Al-Ahli will now focus all their attention on completing the signing of Brentford and England forward Ivan Toney after the 28-year-old gave the green light for the move earlier this week.

Toney has done the first part of his medical in London and Romano reports that Al-Ahli are trying to finalise his signing.

Osimhen pushed to Chelsea?

The news of the Saudi giants shifting their attention solely onto Toney will be music to the ears of Chelsea fans who are still hoping to land Osimhen.

The player is keen on the move to Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea still need to convince him to agree to fit into their 'incentive-driven' wage structure.

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The Blues are unwilling to match the 25-year-old's current Napoli salary and this has so far proved a major issue. Moreover, Chelsea are looking for a loan move, which does not appeal to the player unless it includes an obligation to purchase him next summer.

With the hours ticking down towards the deadline, Chelsea are facing a race against time to find a long-term solution to their No.9 woes.